Diversions
by Chasing.x.Rabbits
Summary: Set after Too Tough To Die. I know that one was a long time ago. Sara falls back into a previous case that was hard for her and realizes she can't go on the way she is. What will she do? Does it help? Chapter three.
1. Roller Coasters

Diversions

It had been four and half years since he told her she needed a distraction from her job. She'd finally caved which was a good thing, it got her active again and having some fun. It all started out with another tough case.

The victim lived but, was now a quadriplegic and suffered from post-partum depression along with insomnia and many other mental dysfunctions. She was a nice, respectable girl, beautiful brown hair and violet colored eyes. Her name was, Jenna Rhode. From the second she arrived at the crime scene she knew it was a gang related incident.

The paramedics said she only had about a 10 chance of surviving due to, all of the bruises she suffered and being shot several times; no single shot she received was lethal but, in combination they cause her to bleed out severely. Nick and Grissom, who were working the case with her, knew that this one would get to her; they knew it would play with her emotions. Grissom tried so hard to make her feel good but, with her it wasn't easy. She was delicate; fragile, one wrong word could cause her to break. Physical pain she dealt with well but, as said before, emotional things tore her apart.

Nick didn't really help that much, he tried to be there for her but, she didn't see anything in him besides looks. Greg relentlessly flirted and tried to go out with her but, never tried to be there for her. To her he just wanted the prize. Warrick was out of the question, they'd never be, Catherine had her dibs on him. Speaking of Catherine, she belittled her a lot but, here lately they'd developed a bond.

But, that night was different; it was like her whole world turned upside down. Her best friend didn't care and they hadn't found out if she even had a boyfriend yet and, she more than likely wouldn't live and, she didn't have much family left. The family she did have was hard to get a hold of. She'd checked up on the victim a month afterwards to see how she was doing and she could barely speak or do anything for that matter.

The once beautiful woman was scrawny, her eyes looked faded, worn and bloodshot, her hair was a mess and she had deep lines across her face but, she kept her hopes up for things changing, for life getting better. The only thing that got better was how worn she looked; she still couldn't do much and was still afraid. They never found who did it, they knew it was one of the "Snakebacks" but, other than that they were at a loss for answers.

During the cases Sara looked just as bad as Jenna; she wouldn't sleep for days at a time and was never home. Grissom seemed to be worried but, he wasn't too good at showing his feelings so she figured he was very worried. He told her, on several occasions, to go out and do something besides obsess over work and, several times she just ignored him. She thought that if she just got an extra hour or two of sleep and had a decent breakfast that he'd assume she went out and leave her alone but, who was she trying to kid. This was Gil Grissom, one of the smartest men; he worked for the crime lab he had to work with tons of people he could tell when someone was lying especially, when they were as terrible at it as she was.

Day after day he told her to go out and do something, find a hobby, etcetera. She thought that when the case was over it'd bring relief and she'd be able to take an easy one and go right back to work but, that was the opposite of what happened. It only brought more frustration, these guys had been at large for awhile; killing people, destroy lives, leaving helpless women and men strung off to the side and left to die. What really frustrated her is that she couldn't get justice for any of these victims, for their families, for those close to them. The more she thought, the more she wanted to get these guys, all of them. But that was a month ago, things were looking up now.

Occasionally she's get a tough case like that but, life was going up the hill of that roller coaster, like the ones Grissom likes to ride. Grissom probably didn't get "tough cases", he didn't feel any emotion. For the life of any and everyone there they couldn't figure out how or why but, to them, he was lucky. There were only a few types of cases that got to him and, even then, it didn't really get to him it just got him fired up and ready to go. It was more of an inspirational thing than one of rage.

The rest of them went into rage when things got to them; Sara was the worst about it. Catherine's was more of a tough girl thing than a "be afraid of me" thing. The night she had her actual breakdown was, by far, one of the worst. She had gotten on, yet, another supposed "Snakeback" killings. The woman had been beaten badly by this man and nearly died at the scene.

Grissom, again, sent her to the lab to give Hodges a few samples he had just collected and then told her to go out to Desert Palms and get a rape kit test from their vic. That was the last place she needed to be, with the victim. He knew it would get her fired up but, he was too busy to stop and think about how she would react and he wasn't going to call Catherine and tell her to do it. It was just that simple; he did not care about her.

She came into the lab upset and near tears; everyone could tell it was another "Snake Back" case but, they knew to act like she was fine. The trip to the hospital was the last straw; the second she laid eyes on Jenna it hit her. The tears fell from her eyes and the sobs were about to come when she heard a faint sound coming from Jenna.

"Ma'am are you okay?" she whispered.

"I'm fine" Sara said, though both she and Jenna knew it was a lie.

"Are you sure?" Jenna asked

"Yea, I'm fine but, it's you I'm worried about. We need to get who did this to you." Sara said as she started processing Jenna.

Meanwhile, at the crime scene, Grissom and Warrick continued to collect evidence. It only took them an hour and a half before they finally decided there was nothing left of significance and to get back to the lab. When they got there nothing was out of the ordinary.

Greg was in the lab jamming to music waiting for some results, since he didn't really trust Hodges that much. Nick was looking through a bit of evidence he collected from a hit and run and checking out some pictures of the victim. Catherine was talking on her cell phone while waiting in Hodges office for some results. Hodges was, like said before, testing some evidence and griping about how Catherine was "totally ignoring him". Sara was, wait a second, where was Sara?

Grissom looked around in the lab for her before going to Nick. Nick hadn't even seen her come in and neither did anyone else. She was probably still at the hospital, he knew how she could get. When he got there she was just leaving. She said hi and went on back to the lab like it was nothing unusual about staying at the hospital for a simple rape kit for just under two hours. And the thing that really hurt her is when he looked at her he didn't see how blood shot her eyes were and if he did he sure didn't even bother to ask her if she was okay or at the least give her a sincere look; instead he said hi and went on about his business.

When Sara got back to the lab she got right to work on the evidence and reviewing what she knew. She found Brass and asked about tracking down her friends and family to learn more. All she returned with was a few phone numbers and more questions than answers, when she called the mom it left her with even more questions.

The mom didn't know hardly anything about the girl. She didn't know how she was doing with her life or even what; the mom thought she was still in college and living in the small townhouse like apartment. Her friends were a little less clueless but, still, didn't know much. The last phone call, at least, was helpful. She found out who this girl really was and that she had a boyfriend that lived in a small apartment a few blocks from where Jenna lived.

Sara quickly went to go find Warrick and they left. The boyfriend's apartment appeared clean and, he was helpful. He was worried about her and told them he hadn't seen her in a day but, for her that wasn't unusual. Jeff, her boyfriend, said that he was going to go and look for her in another day and then report her missing. Sara checked his apartment for blood but, nothing turned up.

Next on their list was Jenna Rhodes' apartment. It was a mess, no blood present but, it reeked of bleach and bad air freshener. Sara, then, started spraying it down with luminal. And in her bedroom, on her bed, there were three bullet casings and blood. That was their crime scene; and as they turned to leave a man appeared.

Neither of them recognized him; he was scruffy and looked to be of trouble. He was tall and muscular built and had some bleach and air freshener in his hand. When she had taken the time to look him over she could just tell; this was their man. He drew his gun and held it to her head; Warrick drew his. Sara stood there helplessly; hoping for Warrick to just shoot him. Again she got lucky; Warrick got him down with a single shot to the back.

They called for back up and after they'd taken their statements and finished processing them they were free to go. The whole way to the lab she cried; no sobs just silent tears. Shift was over so Sara made the lonely venture home. That night was rough, it was the last straw; she had to go and do something to keep from dwelling on it.

So she picked up a moderate sized bag and put it on her shoulder as she made her way out to the car. She changed into black sweats and a white long sleeved t-shirt. She arrived at a quite secluded place, no one but, her, was there. Sara got out and grabbed the bag, locked her car and went inside.


	2. The Calm Before the Storm Set It Off

Author's Note: I probably should have said all this in the first chapter but, oh well. I decided I needed to put a little of myself in a story. So I did and here it is. This one, so far, isn't going to have any definite relationships. It's mostly Sara-centric and Nick and Grissom both tie into her life. I don't know exactly where I'm taking this one yet but, I will soon. I haven't gotten to get super far in this story because I'm trying to finish up my other one.

Nick55- Thanks for the review. I'll finish as fast as I can. I'll probably be done anywhere from one to two months, depending on how long I make it.

Remember keep sending in reviews if you see something I can fix please tell me so I can make the story better for you and anyone else reading. ;) Suggestions are welcome too.

She sat down on a cold metal bench and let the fog in the surrounding air consume her. She was feeling at peace for once, it'd been a while since she'd felt that and it felt good.

She sat there for a while soaking up the aura around her; the fog, the cold air, the sparkle. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hello, Miss Sidle; haven't seen you in a while." Rodney Green, an old friend of hers said.

"Yea, it has been awhile. I've just been so consumed by my job and I need a diversion."

"Ah, tough case?"

"Tough Cases; suspected gang shootings, they're leaving women and men to die. We can't pin-point any one person of them"

"Well, if you're still the Sara I know then this should make you feel better." He said.

"I'm hoping so"

"Well, I've got to get home; hopefully I'll be seeing more of you."

"Hopefully" Sara said as he turned to leave.

Sara reached into the black bag she'd set by her side. She pulled out an old worn skate. It was still in good condition though, it had a few scratches and the padding was pressed in. She laced it up and pulled out the other one; she laced it up and pulled out her fleece gloves and hat.

It'd been forever since she'd been here and it was only once. She started out in L.A., where she met Rodney. Her last foster parents were directors and co-owners of a rink and would bring her up there. In between studying, homework, and reading she would skate. She wasn't all-that gifted but, she took to it quite fast.

She usually was out there in the early hours of the morning before going to school. It was foggy and cold, with a sparkle much like it was here. Rodney coached her on the side whenever he had any free time, as a favor for her parents for hiring him while he was down on his luck. For the first time in years she stepped onto the ice.

It was slick but, not too slick. She turned on the music to a few of her old time favorites and a few new ones. She stroked around a bit to warm up and get the feel back. Just then her cell phone rang, it was Grissom.

"Hello"

"Sara, what are you doing?"

"I'm distracting myself."

"Good, you need the break."

"Why are you calling?"

"I didn't see you at the lab and I was worried. I guess I'll let you get back to whatever it is your doing."

After he hung up she went back to skating around. Push, push, push; she could feel the tension leave her body with every push, she felt her spirit rising. She had been there for around seven hours doing a combination of skating, meditating, and reviewing the case file.

"Wow, it's time to go to work." She didn't have time to stop at her house so she just left the skates in her trunk.

"Wow Sara, you look, happy." Nick said.

"Well, I guess I had a good day." She said.

"Wow you did have a good day." Catherine said walking into the locker room.

Sara just smiled.

She was ready for whatever the night had in store for her. She took the three bullets she found from Jenna's room and gave them to Bobby for a comparison with the bullets found at the crime scene.

"Perfect match; now just find then gun that matches and you've got your shooter."

"Thanks" Sara said.

"Grissom, they're a match."

"What's a match?"

"The bullets we found at the crime scene and the ones I collected from Jenna's bedroom."

"Good work." Grissom said.

Sara walked off and went to the lab where Hodges was since; Greg was out in the field with Catherine.

"Hodges I need you to make a comparison for me." Sara said handing him a swab from the blood found in Jenna's bedroom and one from the crime scene.

"It's going to be awhile, Mr. DNA is running quite slowly today." Hodges said.

"Mr. DNA; you've named the machine's in Greg's lab?" Sara said confused.

"While it was a slow night and I didn't have anything else to do."

"Let me guess no one was here for you to suck up to."

"I'm not a suck up."

"Yea, well why is it you always try to impress Grissom?"

"I like to leave a good impression."

"Yea, right" Sara mumbled under her breath.

"Ah, looks like the blood from the bed and the blood from the crime scene are, indeed, a match."

"Thanks Hodges" Sara said grabbing the paper and taking it to Grissom.

"Good news?" Grissom asked.

"Yes, the blood from the crime scene and the blood from Jenna's apartment are a match."

"I'm thinking body dump." Warrick said coming into the room.

"I'm thinking they cut her in her room and shot her three times and also raped her then took her out to the desert and realized she was still alive and shot her once more and drove off in a hurry." Sara said.

"Sounds reasonable to me" Grissom said.

"But, where do we go from here?" Warrick asked.

"Well back to her apartment." Grissom said.

They spent the rest of the shift going through everything. Sara and Warrick didn't go through much when they were first here; they just wanted to find blood. Grissom found a few fibers and hairs but, other than that not much else. Sara found a few documents and decided to have them take her computer back to the lab.

"There's nothing left here." Warrick said.

"Well what else do we have to go on?" Grissom said.

"Well she had to get around somehow, what about a car?" Warrick suggested.

"I'll have Brass check about any means of transportation." Grissom said.

It was getting late and they'd finished collecting evidence so they headed back to them lab.

"What are doing after work?" Nick said in the locker room to Sara.

"Uh, I'm going out."

"Want to go out with me?" Nick said.

"No, I've got some things I need to do."

"Oh, okay." Nick said disappointed.

"I'll walk you out." She said to him.

"I'll see you tonight." He said leaning in for a hug and she pulled back.

It temporarily destroyed his ego but, what happened next boosted it. She cupped his face with her hands and lightly kissed him on the mouth.

"Sara" he said but, she had already left.


	3. Two quaters and a heart down

Author's Note: Thanks for all of ya'lls great reviews. Sorry for taking so long. Anyways, read, review and enjoy: )

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She woke up on her couch make-up smeared in all directions and still in her work clothes.

"I must have been more tired than I thought." She muttered to herself.

Sara grabbed up her black sweats from yesterday and her white long sleeved t-shirt. Next thing she knew she was, again, consumed by the cold air and everything about the rink she loved. There was no one there today but, that was okay with her, she liked being alone. She spent an hour just stroking around and warming up and, again, her phone rang.

"Sidle" she said.

"Sara, we need to talk." Nick said.

"Now?"

"Well, I'd like to"

"I'm busy right now but, I'll get in touch with you."

"Okay"

"Bye, Nicky"

She hung up and went right back to what she was doing. Then Rodney walked in.

"Nice to see you back."

"Rodney, nice to see you too." She said, happy to see him.

Sara then grabbed a cereal bar out of bag and quickly ate it and got back to skating around. She skated 'til it was near time to go to work. It'd become such a release to her; life seemed to be going smoother, this tough case was a little easier, she'd finally made a move on Nick though her heart was still wanting Grissom she'd given up hope.

Grissom didn't care and she knew it. But he really did, he liked her as more than a friend, he wanted to be more than friends though he knew it couldn't be; so, he hid his feelings. Sometimes he even had himself convinced he didn't like her. It hurt him to see her even think about moving on, he wanted her to himself though he couldn't have her. It was a complicated thing but, that was Grissom; still is and will always be, that was just his style.

The only person he ever let on to that fact was Catherine and he didn't flat out tell her, she guessed and he denied it but, his reactions to her questioning gave it all away.

Life was becoming routine for Sara. Go to work, come home, go to sleep, get up and ready, go skating, go back to work; day in day out. After awhile it had become normal to see Sara in a good mood but, one evening changed that.

They were going strong with finding Jenna's attacker, they'd decided it might have been the best friend since, she once had a thing with Jenna's boyfriend; motive. Her best friend also knew a guy who was in a gang so he could help make it look like a gang related incident. Sara and Nick were on their way to Melissa's house to talk to her and, if needed, make an arrest.

When they got there the house had a strange feeling to it. It was deadly quiet yet Melissa's car was in the driveway. Nick called for backup since the door was locked and she could possibly be at home, waiting for them. Five cops arrived just a few moments later and broke in; they didn't find Melissa so Nick and Sara assumed it was safe and went in.

They looked around a bit and found nothing of significance, no gun, and no blood.

"I don't see anything here so, let's just head back to the lab" Nick said.

When they got back to the lab Greg was the first to find them.

"Got anything for me?" Greg said, in hopes they would.

"Nope, let me guess slow day." Nick said.

"Yea, Catherine brought me two hairs and two swabs one blood one a suspects."

"Well, have fun Greggo." Nick said.

Nick walked away to go find Sara to see if she any idea of what to do next.

"Grissom, have you seen Sara here lately?" Nick asked.

"I saw her talking with Warrick in trace but, after that I don't know." Grissom said.

Nick walked off and went to the break room to grab a soda and something to eat.

"Sara, I've been looking for you." Nick said to Sara who was standing at the counter washing off a few grapes.

"I went to see if Greg knew anything then I went to Hodges to see if he knew anything and Warrick was in there so we chatted a bit then I came here." Sara said.

Nick grabbed out a root beer and a box of what appeared to be Chinese.

"Ah, Greg's dinner from last night, that contains who knows what." Sara said jokingly.

"Yea, that's why I am now going to put this back, thanks Sara the only half-way decent something in here and you ruined it for me." Nick said.

"I didn't ruin it; I just brought something to your attention." Sara said smirking in the cocky way she did when she was around Nick.

"Well, since you brought that to my attention I'm now going to have to stay hungry."

"You can have some of these grapes." Sara said holding out her hand.

"Thanks" Nick said as he took nearly all of them.

They finished up their snack and both went to the layout room.

"Okay, here's what we know." Sara said laying out the photos and evidence.

"She was shot three times; we recovered three bullet casings and haven't gotten a match to a gun yet.

"We still haven't found a gun, we haven't found anybody to arrest. The best friend can be placed at the scene but, we have no evidence that she actually shot her. We have a motive for the best friend."

"Sara, let's get more information on Melissa, I've got a feeling it was her."

"Alright I'll go find Brass and see what he can dig up." Sara said gathering up the evidence and photos.

"Brass"

"Yes, Sara"

"What can you find for me on Melissa Denver?"

"Well, she used be employed at the Tangiers with your vic Jenna until she quit. Uh, before that she worked at the Highball bar as a waitress which she quit because of a job offer at the Tangiers. She attended college at UNLV and majored in Art and Culinary Skills; she got a master's degree in both."

"So it'd be safe to say she was creative?"

"I'd think so" Brass said.

Sara left and walked towards the layout room where Nick was most of the time.

"Nick" she said.

"Did you find anything out?"

"Oh yea; listen to this: Before she worked at the Tangiers she was employed at the Highball bar as a waitress and quit because she got a better job offer at the Tangiers before that she attended UNLV. She received a master's degree in both Art and Culinary Skills."

"Well that doesn't tell us much but, it's better than what we had." Nick said.

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